The Michigan football quarterback competition this past spring did not play out as expected.
The Wolverines brought in the nation’s No. 1 recruit, five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood from up the road in Belleville. The outside expectation was for him to take over the room and run away with the job. But he is 17 years old and this is not only the Big Ten, but an important season for Sherrone Moore and company to get back to the top tier of the sport.
The end of last year was a thrill. Mopping Northwestern by 44 points created the belief that turned into a 13-10 victory over Ohio State in Columbus the following week as underdogs by more than three touchdowns. Once that happened, nobody could limit the Wolverines, who played without all seven of their now NFL draft picks, yet still defeated Alabama 19-13 in the Reliaquest Bowl.
It was a sky-high finish to the year, but frankly, an 8-5 record is not what cuts it in Ann Arbor. They knew they could perhaps need a Plan B.
That’s why U-M not only brought in new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, but a veteran quarterback he was familiar with from their time at University Central Florida. Mikey Keene, who has more than 2,200 collegiate snaps under his belt and was a solid starter both at UCF and more recently Fresno State, was expected to push Underwood for the starting role.
Instead, those in the Michigan football program confirmed that he did not take a single snap in practice this spring as he continued to rehab from an undisclosed injury. With Davis Warren, last year’s starter, also on the mend from a torn ACL, that left just two healthy quarterbacks in Underwood and Jadyn Davis to take all of the snaps this spring.
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